What I'm Watching #239

Just watched "Little Ashes" the 2009 retelling of the forbidden and turbulent relationship between surrealist artist Salvador Dali and poet/playwright Federico Garcia Lorca. It's a beautifully constructed film that handles the sexual tension between the two men with a measure of grace and a lyrical beauty. I was especially impressed with Javier Beltrán's performance as Lorca. A lovely film.

And Now For Something Completely...FABULOUS!

Mid-May Garden Stroll

In some ways this is a relatively quiet time in my gardens; the rabid flurry of blooming that characterizes April, gives way to a more subtle and transitional period.

Yet it's not devoid of things to see, and these lovely volunteer Siberian Iris, Iris sibirca, which are in their second year of forming a clump on the left side of my driveway in the front are a great example. Spawned from the original by way of seeds, they are only just beginning to form the traditional circle of glassy leaves and intense blue fleur-de-les of the species. The original colony located on the right side of the driveway, eventually expanded to two large circles, but hasn't offered a blossom in the past two years. Still the rings of leaf-blades, but no flowers.

In the back in the circle garden I have two plants of interest blooming. First, is this trio of Jacob's Ladders, Polemonium caeruleum, with their powder blue flowers that open in clusters to the delight of the huge Carpenter Bee in this case. (Can you see him in the center upper portion of the photo?)They are fighting to hold their own in a neighborhood with both hostas and loosestrife. They are among the brand new arrivals to my gardens this year. I'm presently feeling really good about their prospects to remain and continue to form a place in the larger bed. The weather this Spring as been both good in its rain amounts and its temperatures in helping new arrivals to take root and flourish.

Near by are several stalks from a cluster of Foxglove, Digitalis purpurea x. et. al., that are offering their trumpet-like flowers to the world of pollinators. I like these flowers a lot and so go to extra lengths to pamper them, for truth be told, the gardens don't get the kind of light that is preferred by these fascinating biennials.

Finally, there is this planter. One of many, and for all my love of the natural wild garden, I am also very happy to arrange planters with odd, thematic combinations of plants. This one contains begonias, an allegator geranium, choleus, and Japanese striped grass. A little United Nations of plants, as well as, sea shells and coral and found stones from special adventures over the years.

What I'm Reading #30

On a far more pleasant note. I've just finished Michael Chabon's "Gentlemen of the Road", and it was FANTASTIC! It's the story of two very unlikely adventurers who find themselves at the crux of an adventure not of their choosing, but impossible to leave unprosecuted. Chabon does a couple of things that make this little novel especially delightful. He recreates the world of 10th century Khazaria, a nearly mythical kingdom of a forgotten strain of red haired, fair skinned Jews which thrived along the northern edges of the Caspian Sea. His rich and varied vocabulary turns every page into a gold mine of linguistic gems. I often found myself rereading entire paragraphs just to savory the words in my mind. And it's this skill as a writer that accomplishes the second feat.

Time and again he takes the well worn, tried and true conventions of the classic swashbuckler's tale and makes them feel fresh and new. Even when I could see well ahead where some element of the plot was going and the subterfuge was being perpetrated upon the reader, I didn't care. The journey as it unfolded was far more important than the mere unfurling of the plot. Michael Chabon is one of the finest writers we have in our midst today. This is one that I know I will return to at some point in the future to savor all over again.

What I'm Watching #238

Pedro Almodóvar is one of Spain's best known directors, and he's gay which makes his ouvre of interest to me. This film was made in 1987 in a world without computers, and at a time when Antonio Bandares was more than willing to play a homosexual, homicidal psychopath with scenes depicting full frontal nudity and lots of hot steamy man on man sex. It was a simpler time.

But not even the eye candy can stave off the sour taste of this lemon. Honestly, the movie didn't make any sense. It was impossible to tell whether it was even a comedy or melodrama. And granted, unlike spanish language films shot in say, Mexico, or Argentina, or even Cuba; those made in Spain seem to always feature dialogue rattled off at an alarmingly impossible rate to follow. Yet, I'm confident that I got enough of it to keep up with the gist of the plot, such as there was one. For a student of Almodóvar, I suppose the option to this skip this film isn't really there, for everyone else...count your blessings.

Modern Family

Okay, I grew up on TV. It was my parent's babysitter of choice. I can't imagine my youth without WKBD Detroit with it's steady diet of "Little Rascals," "The Three Stooges," "Speed Racer," "Kimba the White Lion," "Gilligan's Island," "The Adam's Family," and "The Munsters!" When you don't know much, you know what you know a lot.

And there were other love affairs with TV over the years.

In the late 60's "Star Trek." The 70's were first about the news from Viet Nam and the war and then still local news, and shows like "All in the Family," "The Jeffersons," "Good Times," and "Maude"...

I gave up on TV in the 80's.

"My So Called Life," "Homocide: Life on the Streets," "Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego," and "Will & Grace" brought me back in the 90's.

Most recently "Law & Order": (the franchise--and backtracking via seasonal DVD purchases), and "NCIS" has snagged my interest. And then there's this year. Without much consideration to the hype and/or via word of mouth from friends I've completely been captivated by 3 shows: 1) "Glee," 2) "The Office (back tracking again--NOT liking the first season at all)," and 3) "Modern Family." The latter only just in the past few days.

Modern Family is at one and the same, insightful, witty, hilarious, and tender. Just like The Office has morphed into and Glee. It really pays homage to the shocking social humor of shows like "Maude" and "All In The Family" and the derivative nature of shows like "The Simpson's", while being fresh. Here the writers and actors shine. In a recent episode, for example, the character Phil (played by the actor Ty Burrell) delivered this line: "Just to be clear, I'm not condoning eating your kids, but I sure as heck know why giraffe's do it." If you're not watching this, you have no idea what you're missing....

Must see TV.

A Day In The Life: A Trip To The U.S. Capitol

Being a teacher is absolutely the best vocation on the planet. I selected this word wisely: it's not a career, and it certainly is not a job -- It's a calling. Some have it, and some don't. And there's hardly anything more painful than watching someone who doesn't have the gift attempt to make a career out of it. That said, I am so blessed to have been born with this job as my vocation. I didn't see it until I was a senior in college. It found me. How amazing is that?

And as a result, among the myriad of incredible opportun- ities this fact has afforded me over the years, I was privileged on this past Tuesday to chaperone a group of our fifth graders on a field trip to the United States Capitol. Here, milling about waiting to begin our trek from the bus drop off site to the entrance of the new multi-million dollar visitor center located on the polar opposite end of the sprawling campus of the Capitol is the very future of our Republic. Citizens born a scant 11/12 years ago who have only know two political realities: Republican equals Bush, and Democrat equals Obama. It is not strange to them that our nation has elected a Black President, anymore than he has nominated to the Supreme court of the land one woman after another. And they know what our nation's founders went through to create our form of governance (the docent is about to find this out!), so that it's more perfect fruition in their short life spans doesn't seem anything more than ordinary. A fact that I find amazing.

In the beginning of our tour, we were all processed through metal detectors and conveyor belts with x-ray machines that exposed our bags, the contents of our pockets, and irradiated our belts to the vigilant eyes of a security guard. It was a process overall made efficient by familiarity. And yet one student had trouble navigating it. Brandon E. who's family only moved here a little over a year ago from the northern and more strife filled region of the Cameroon. The alarms were repeatedly set off because he was not able to remove a silver wallet fob that was attached to a belt loop on his black dress trousers.

As all of the other students collected on the interior balcony of the guest center, I noticed his absence and then went to his aid. He, of all of our students, came most prepared to pay respect to his new and adopted nation by donning black slacks, a white long-sleeved dress shirt, and a tie. By the time, I got to him, he'd failed his 3rd pass through the machinery of liberty and was nearly frantic in his attempts to disentangle the metal chain from his pants. Opposing him and monitoring the machine were three tall, fit; and otherwise pedestrian, African American guards. As they passed glances between themselves, I could see that they understood how scared Brandon had become. Then suddenly, by some miracle of magnetism, he made it through the arch on the fourth passing without setting off the alarm. I met him and assured him that it was all okay as he fiddled to return his belt to his waste. The rest of the trip found him nearby me. Happy-go-lucky as usual, but definitely clinging. This is what in loco parentis means, this is what it looks like.

Once assigned a docent, we traipsed into the theater and experienced a 18 min film of unbridled patriotic rhetoric -- which I enjoyed.

Afterwards, he led us into the main concourse beneath the massive iron dome of the Capitol. He parked us beneath this painting and began a long presentation about the history of the building and the meaning of the statues, murals and paintings in the room. With each question, our students had the answer. At one point he stopped dumbfounded and declared, "I hope you hold on to this information. I just led a group of 8th graders through here, and they didn't know any of this!" The question that prompted this observation was "What does e pluribus unim mean?" And after he'd said his piece, several of our students pointed out that we'd just been told this during the video presentation that we'd just left. I'm sure they thought, "How dumb are 8th graders who can't remember something they've been told for a span of 10 minutes!"

One fact that our docent planted firmly in our minds was the image painted upon the interior crown of the dome of George Washington being assumed into heaven surrounded by 13 muses representing the 13 original colonies. What an ultimate bow to neo-classicism. And the kids got it, knew about it, told the docent things about it to his own chagrin. For his part, he probably taught some of them the meaning of the word "apotheosis".

We ended the official tour in the crypt, where our students continued to pelt the poor docent with probing and challenging questions. And don't mis- understand, he was a very knowledgeable guy. But our kids asked very challenging questions, like, "Is the majority of the mythology represented here Greek or Roman?"

I love these kids, I really do. And I am want if I do not conclude this little post with the idea that in the past 10 years, we've upped the educational ante by setting ever higher and higher bars of expectation and accomplishment. It's been tough. But kids have, en masse, responded by knowing more and doing more than members of my generation were ever expected to let alone did in such solid percentages.

Zimbabwe: The Concept

Thank you, Robert Mugabe; may your legacy never fade from the minds of those who assume your powers after your passing, and may that elevation to a higher estate of consciousness be to you a reward and blessing that arrives sooner than later.

Glee Lessons of the Week, Episode 19

So what did we learn this week on Glee?

1) Neil Patrick Harris can sing!
2) Tina and Arnie can dance!
3) Rachel has a mother (and it's neither Patty LuPone or Barbara Striesand)!

And if you missed tonight's show, that's what you missed on Glee.

FaceBook Broadway Near Miss!

My facebook friend, Joel D. tossed out a little missed-lyrical reference that got picked up by a few of us. It’s a delightful little strain that I want to share here. One of the reason I actually enjoy Facebook.

Joel D.: “There's no business like the entertainment business.”

Kathleen W.: “...like no business that I am familiar with.”

Michael Living-J.: “everything about it is attractive."

Me!: “Still you wouldn't trade it for a sack o' marbles!”

Melissa F.-A.: “I wish I'd gone into show business!”

Sunday, Lazy Sunday

Spent the day keeping my carbon footprint low. Brunched on sauteed asparagus tips with cherry tomatoes, over which I scrambled an egg and then folded it into an omelet with asiago cheese. That was sweet (well, actually quite savory!). I don't often give myself a proper breakfast.

I had some plants to toss in here and there around the garden and a pot over burdened with some tropicals on the sun porch that I liberated and dealt with in various ways. By mid-afternoon I was camped out under the red umbrella on my deck in the back reading and day dreaming.... Still nursing "Remarkable Creatures" by Tracy Chavelier. The first chapter was such magical poetry that the rest of the book has been more disappointing. Not bad, and not uninteresting, just not nearly as well written. So I'll get there eventually; managed to polish off another 60 pages between day dreams, about 110 to go.

RIT Men's Lacrosse Up-date

Okay kids, the Tigers of RIT (Rochester Institute of Technology) won the Division III, Empire 8 league championship and drew a bye in the NCAA Division III round one play-offs. They played a higher ranked Connecticut College today in round two of the play-offs at Connecticut and sent them packing (well, walking) back to their dorms with an 11-9 victory that also qualifies them to play the quarter-final round on this Wednesday. This is such big shit for these guys and being sucked into it via my colleague M.'s son Ryan, and can honestly say that this is sport at it's innocent, fundamental, amazing best. RIT is the underdog in this tournament, and by shear will of belief in themselves, they've managed to advantage themselves over opponents with superior records in this season.

And I'm NOT forgetting the power of M.'s cupcakes to inspire!

Cannes Fever

Cannes is on and the "Golden Palm" is again being offered to a select group of international films on the French Riviera. I LOVE Cannes. It give me a chance to scope out films that I want to see.

Among my top choices is a Spanish film: "Buitiful" staring Javier Bardem. From Cannes' website: "Biutiful" is the story of Uxbal. Devoted father. Tormented lover. Mystified son. Underground businessman. Friend of the disposed. Ghost seeker. Spiritual sensitive. A survivor at the invisible margins in today’s Barcelona. Uxbal, sensing the danger of death, tries to reconcile with love and save his children, as he tries to save himself. Uxbal’s story is simple: just one of the complex realities that we all live in today. What's not to love about that? And Javier Bardem to boot! Now, that's cinema!

Another movie that I anxious to see is "Abel" out of Mexico. The Cannes blurb reads: A first time behind the camera for Diego Luna, and his first time in Cannes. The Mexican actor, now also a director, presents Abel, his first feature film shown in Special Screening at 7:15 pm in the Salle du Soixantième. Its eponymous hero, who is nine years old, has not said a word since his father left home. One day, the child starts to speak and acts as the head of the household. He takes care of his mother, watches over his brother and sister and no one complains. Until the day a man rings the door bell: his father.

And finally for this blog entry I turn to Thailand. Two of my favorite films of the past couple of years came out of Thailand: "Beautiful Boxer" and "Bangkok Love Story". Now, Cannes adds the tale of family and magical thinking titled "Lung Boonmee Reluek Chat (Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives)" to its distinguished roster of 2010 competitors. From it's website, again: Suffering from acute kidney failure, Uncle Boonmee has chosen to spend his final days surrounded by his loved ones in the countryside. Surprisingly, the ghost of his deceased wife appears to care for him, and his long lost son returns home in a non-human form. Contemplating the reasons for his illness, Boonmee treks through the jungle with his family to a mysterious hilltop cave -- the birthplace of his first life...

Two Awesome Photographs!

Glee Lessons of the Week, Episode 18 "Laryngitis"

This week we learned that Puck can't sing (But he's still hot and can dance), and Santana can sing (and dance). The power of the emotional fulcrum on the show belongs to Kurt -- and he can really sing. And the writing is less witty with less Sue Sylvester. And if you missed it, that's what happened on Glee....

Our Latest American Hero #140

Army Sgt. Anthony O. Magee, 29, of Hattiesburg, Miss.; assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 69th Armor Regiment, 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, Fort Benning, Ga.; died April at Landstul Regional Medical Center, Germany of wounds sustained April 24 at Contingency Operating Base Kalsu, Iskandariyah, Iraq, when enemy forces attacked his unit with indirect fire.


"He Gave His Life For Our Freedom"

HATTIESBURG — Sgt. Anthony O. Magee, 29, of Hattiesburg, returned home for the final time when a Kalitta Charters jet carrying his flag-draped coffin touched down at the Hattiesburg-Laurel Regional Airport at 7:22 a.m. Friday.

Magee died April 27 from wounds suffered three days earlier when his unit came under indirect fire at Contingency Operating Base Kasul in Iskandariyah, Iraq. He was a member of the United States Army's 2nd Battalion, 69th Armor Regiment, 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division from Fort Benning, Ga.

Magee is the second soldier from the Hattiesburg area killed in a 20-day span during Operation Iraqi Freedom. Spc. William Anthony Blount, 21, of Petal was killed April 7 by a roadside explosive device in Mosul, Iraq.

"This is something we should do," said Maxine Coleman, neighborhood coordinator for the city, who stood at Pine Street and Second Avenue to pay her respects as the funeral procession passed. "He gave his life for our freedom.

"I can't imagine what his family is going through. It could have been my son. I have kids that age."

About 25 members of Magee's family were at the edge of the airport tarmac Friday, one grasping a small American flag that rippled in the breeze.

The Mississippi Honor Guard Team from Jackson met Magee's casket at the airport.

An escort of law enforcement from Hattiesburg Police Department, Forrest County Sheriff's Office, Petal Police Department, University of Southern Mississippi and Mississippi Highway Safety Patrol, followed by a formation of Patriot Guard Riders, led the procession down I-59.

From there, the line traveled along the Evelyn Gandy Parkway and Glendale Avenue, before winding past Hattiesburg High School and other central Hattiesburg neighborhoods before arriving at Hall's-Fairley Mortuary at 701 Hall Ave.

The halls of Hattiesburg High were silent Friday morning as students filed along Hutchinson Avenue to catch a glimpse of the hearse.

"A young man, young man," said Madeline Hayes, who worked for six years at the Hattiesburg Police Department with Magee's father, Tony Davis. "It just hurts. I feel the pain that the family feels."

Today's Sermon #26

Psalm 8

Our Lord and Ruler,
your name is wonderful
everywhere on earth!
You let your glory be seen
in the heavens above.
With praises from children
and from tiny infants,
you have built a fortress.
It makes your enemies silent,
and all who turn against you
are left speechless.
I often think of the heavens
your hands have made,
and of the moon and stars
you put in place.
Then I ask, “Why do you care
about us humans?
Why are you concerned
for us weaklings?”
You made us a little lower
than you yourself,
and you have crowned us
with glory and honor.
You let us rule everything
your hands have made.
And you put all of it
under our power—
the sheep and the cattle,
and every wild animal,
the birds in the sky,
the fish in the sea,
and all ocean creatures.
Our Lord and Ruler,
your name is wonderful
everywhere on earth!

~ David, King of Israel

Humane Treatment Of Animals

The Dog/Cat stamps are out to promote adoption from shelters and the humane treatment of animals. Check them out; nay, buy them and use them.

Mother

Mother's Day is tomorrow. My mother has been dead since the autumn of 1992. We had 31 years in which to walk together in life. She remains close to me in spite of death. So many good things in my life are due to her example and love. I can't tell you that I miss her, because I feel just as close to her today as I did at any time when she was alive.

Here we are in the backyard of my childhood home in Flat Rock, Michigan. It's July, and I'm approaching 6 months. The note scribbled in her handwriting on the back of the original reads: "He looks like Grandma Sperling here". That's got to be her mother (Hazel Lillian McHaney-Sperling, 1893-1965). Her own grandmother Sperling died when she was 8 in 1927, and I've never seen a picture of her, nor was she ever mentioned. Now Hazel was a rather butch old gal, but my grandmother and not my grandfather? Some things a mother knows....

Happy Birthday Marie~

Celebrating Marie's 90th birthday with friends. She's the one in the tiara, of course! Marie is my ex-'s grandmother, and I just couldn't give up custody when our relationship ended. Some things are just too precious.

Note To Myself

Bring my own mug to the next breakfast with David Ducovny. No more taking his cup with hot joe...

Friday's White Trash Pot Pie Supper!

The title tells it all.

Pot pies have two compon- ents: the filling and the crust (which is for me just a top).

FILLING: chopped broccoli, scallions, carrots, red peppers and button mushrooms combined with undiluted condensed cream of mushroom soup.

TOP: 2 C. of Bisquick, 1 egg, 3/4 C. water, fresh ground pepper, 1/4 tsp. of each: oregano, basil, thyme, marjoram, rosemary, and parsley.

Bake in individual casseroles @ 350 degrees for 70 minutes.

Fillings can also easily include or substitute things like asparagus, celery, green beans, peas, potatoes, corn, spinach, let your taste and imagination guide you. And meat is welcome, as well. One of my favorites is turkey, but chicken and ham also really work. Play with the spices in the crust, too; both garlic and dill can completely change the outcome.

For example: Create a FILLING with salmon, baby shrimp, small scallops, celery, asparagus, onions, red peppers and capers in a condensed celery soup sauce. Add a TOP with only fresh ground pepper and dill.

The possibilities are limited only to your imagination and taste buds.

Same Sex Marriage/Union Up-Date

The state of the unions of same sex couples in the world.

Tier 1 ~ Marriage can be obtained in: Belgium, Canada, the Netherlands, Norway, South Africa, Spain, and Sweden. In national sub-units like in the United States: Connecticut, the Coquille Native American Tribal Reserves (Oregon), the District of Columbia, Iowa, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Vermont; in Mexico; the Federal Capital Zone.

Tier 2 ~ Same Sex Civil Unions are legal and can be obtained in: Andorra, Austria, Colombia, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Ecuador, Finland, France, Germany, Greenland, Hungary, Iceland, Luxembourg, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Slovenia, Switzerland, Wallis & Futuna, the United Kingdom, and Uruguay. In national sub-units like in Argentina: Buenos Aires, Rio Cuarto-Cordoba, Rio Negro Provence, & Villa Carlos Paz; Australia: Canberra, Tasmania, & Victoria; Mexico: Coahuila; the United States: California, Colorado, Hawaii, Maine, Maryland, New Jersey, Nevada, Oregon, Washington, & Wisconsin; Venezuela: Merida.

Tier 3 ~ Additional rights for same sex couples are afforded in, Brazil, Croatia, Israel, & Portugal.

And now this! Argentina is on the verge of joining the nations in Tier 1. How amazing and wonderful is that!?

From the Washington Post: Argentina just moved one step closer to legalizing gay marriage today when the Argentine House of Deputies approved same-sex marriage by an “ample margin… and sent the legislation for consideration in the Senate,” President Cristina Fernandez has promised not to veto the measure if it reaches her desk.

What I'm Listening To #88

Listening to Astrud Gilberto's crystalline voice with its easy, jazzy, Brazilian elegance earlier this evening. The golden hour of dusk gilded the world beyond by office window with a buttery glow. It was a mystically real combination at the time.

What I'm Reading #29

Just finished How The Irish Saved Civilization by Thomas Cahill. It's interesting and full of information about some of the major personalities shaping the cultural gestalt of Europe and Ireland at the fall of the Roman Empire in the 5th century through the abandonment of Lindisfarne Monastery in 875 after repeatedly being sacked by Viking invaders.

I must say that I am rather proud of myself for knowing all the contemporary ones from Ausonius to Brigid, leaving only the mythologized ancient Irish personalities who's facts have been utterly muddle with folklore and legend to make much of the details of their lives rather dubious as history. Of the ones I knew I gained insights into most and for most for the better. Alas pour Augustine of Hippo was an exception here; moving from being a Renaissance man of human consciousness to a despot without conscience by the end of his human journey. To the contrary Patricius (a.k.a St. Patrick) grew into something of a champion for justice while managing to maintain and deepen his humanity...at least, according to Cahill's rendering.

Not the easiest book to read, and there were sections that I just had to slog through at times, but I'm glad I found the time to do it.

Benny Does The Shroud Bate And Switch... And I Ain't Buying It

from a caption below this photo in the New York Times: Pope Benedict XVI on Sunday prayed before the Shroud of Turin, which he described as an “extraordinary icon” with a compelling message.

Is this guy for real? Honestly, I'm flabbergasted.

He drags out some freaking old rag with stains on it and asks a billion people to focus on the rag and not the fact that he actively ignored dozens of priest who fucked little boys and some little girls, at times on the very altars of the holy church, and why? That's WHY? Can anyone answer me?

Is it, as I suspect, because the Catholic Church as an institution is more important than any of it's members? That the reputation of the institution superceeds any of the particular "sins" committed against its most vulnerable members by it's most perverse? WHAT the HELL kind of RELIGION is this? It's so screwed up, that it can't even tell truth from perversion anymore.

In the end, it's the best testament to the idea that their is no God. Because how could any God worth her or his powers back this theology unless she or he were simply a sadist? You explain to me that, and I might even consider joining your ranks. Cheers.

What I'm Watching #237

Low budget and amateurish films have from the mid 1980's proliferated on the "Independent Film" network first haphazardly and then as part of an actual Independent Film Network. Most of these puppies failed. Here's a dog that has won my heart.

"Finding North" not only gives a couple of beautiful performances from the principle actors, but tells a story with a redemptive heart and tons of moxie.

I really love this little film. Right time, right place, perhaps; but, I think it's more powerful than even karma.

Truth Telling: Illegal Immigration

URGENT ALERT: My conscience can no longer stand it. In the present climate of immigration-hysteria I have to turn in the following people to the Feds for immediate deportation and repatriation to their home countries. NONE of these people had papers or even visas to allow them to enter the United States! I am ashamed that they are my relatives....

~ Samuel Maycock, born in England, entered illegally in 1618 via the port of Jamestown, Virginia.
~ Richard Pace, born in St. Dunstan Parish, Stepheny, England, entered illegally in 1620 via the port of Jamestown, Virginia.
~ Isabelle Smyth, born in St. Dunstan Parish, Stepheny, England, entered illegally in 1620 via the port of Jamestown, Virginia.
~ Thomas Scudamore, born at Mayhill, Westerleigh in Gloucester, England, entered illegally in 1634 on the coast of Massachusetts, at a place to named Cambridge.
~ Agnes Lawrence, born in England, entered illegally in 1634 on the coast of Massachusetts, at a place to named Cambridge.
~ James Train, born in Scotland, entered illegally in 1688 via Monie Hundred Plantation, Mary Land.
~ Temperance Weatherly, born in Scotland, entered illegally in 1688 via Monie Hundred Plantation, Mary Land.
~ Antonius Jacobus Henkel, born in Mehrenberg, Germany; entered illegally in 1703, port of entry unknown.
~ Maria Elizabeth Dentzer, born in Birkenau, Germany; entered illegally in 1703, port of entry unknown.
~ Johann Adam Biebel, Born Goersdorf, Alsance, France; entered illegally in 1758 via the port of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
~ Maria Eva Margaretha Müller, Born Goersdorf, Alsance, France; entered illegally in 1758 via the port of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
~ Heinrich Esch, born in Blessenbach, Germany; entered illegally in 1750 via the port of Philadelphia.
~ James Henry McHaney, born in County Cork, Ireland, entered illegally in the 1880’s, port of entry unknown.
~ Emil Otto Sperling and Nancy Ann Pollard, born in Gunbinnen, Germany, entered illegally in the 1890’s, port of entry unknown.

I confess now my association with these illegal aliens in light of the burden that I have born low these many years and as a consequence of the current atmosphere of righteous indignation being expressed by ignorant, small minded, self-centered, shitheads in places like Arizona.

The good news? None of these people is likely to put up a fight or stage a protest, the dead rarely do.

Art I'm Seeing #44

I drove up to Wilmington, Delaware today to visit the Delaware Art Museum. As always, it's a charming place with a collection that makes for a wonderful way to while away an hour or two. They are known for a couple of things: 1) Their diverse collection of pre-Raphaelite paintings and artisan items, 2) Their extensive collection of late nineteens and early twentieth century American illustrators centered most notably around the works of Howard Pyle, but including I would imagine 100's of others from N.C. Wyeth to Maxfield Parrish, and 3) Their collection of the works by John Sloan, in particular, and the Ash Can School in general. When you think about it, a relatively small, regional museum that plays upon current sensibilities in art over the years to amass impressive collections in three relatively idiosyncratic arenas of art study and thus distinguishing itself internationally -- pretty damn smart.

On this occasion, I had another purpose, to see the special exhibition entitled: Dinotopia: The Fantastical Art of James Gurney.

This exhibition was organized by the Norman Rockwell Museum and premiered there in Stockbridge, Massachusetts. Next, it toured to the Los Angeles Public Library on the west coast. Now it finishes its run here in Delaware. Comprised of 60 illustrations, models, and artifacts created by James Gurney in the creation of his Dinotopia fantasy world, the paintings represent a sampling from each of his three major books in the series: "Dinotopia: A Land Apart From Time," "Dinotopia: The World Beneath," and "Dinotopia: Journey to Chandara."

The painting are vibrant and lush. They demonstrate a powerful use of technique and almost demand to be touched as the brush strokes and use of the palate knife present themselves in a way that the flat illustrations are mute to sing. This one entitled "Will Arrives" was among my favorites for the use of sparse sketchy application of paint that so thoroughly gave the illusion of rapid movement of the central figure.

A wonderful exhibition that was tailor made for this wonderful little museum, and a perfect way to spend a couple of hours on an atypically humid and muggy-hot Sunday in early May.

Today's Sermon #25

from Think Of The Soul

I swear to you that body of yours gives proportions to your Soul
somehow to live in other spheres;
I do not know how, but I know it is so.

Think of loving and being loved;
I swear to you, whoever you are, you can interfuse yourself with such
things that everybody that sees you shall look longingly upon
you.

Think of the past;
I warn you that in a little while others will find their past in you
and your times.

The race is never separated--nor man nor woman escapes;
All is inextricable--things, spirits, Nature, nations, you too--from
precedents you come.

Recall the ever-welcome defiers, (The mothers precede them;) 10
Recall the sages, poets, saviors, inventors, lawgivers, of the earth;
Recall Christ, brother of rejected persons--brother of slaves,
felons, idiots, and of insane and diseas'd persons.

Think of the time when you were not yet born;
Think of times you stood at the side of the dying;
Think of the time when your own body will be dying.

Think of spiritual results,
Sure as the earth swims through the heavens, does every one of its
objects pass into spiritual results.

Think of manhood, and you to be a man;
Do you count manhood, and the sweet of manhood, nothing?

~ Walt Whitman, 1819-1890

What I'm Watching #236

Filmed in 1996, "Green Plaid Shirt" is a film created to tell the story of a group of gay men facing the full force of the AIDS epidemic just prior to the onset of AZT and the battery of drug cocktails that have brought so many back from the brink of death and prolonged the onset of AIDS for others by decades, now.

Curiously, the DVD opens with an apology from the producers for the crude nature of the film. And I thought, "Oh, great, another looser!" But, hey, it isn't at all. It's a decent little film that communicates it's message with tenderness and grace.

Woodlands Gardens Update: 01 MAY 10

The bed of Mayapples, Podophyllum peltatum, is in its full glory in the lowest end of the Woodland Garden. For the longest time, this corner of the yard went either neglected or unsupported -- which is to say, the things I did were soon forgotten and failed by and large to "take." Then about seven years ago, I transported 4 native Christmas Ferns, Polystichum acrostichoides, from the woods owned by a friend of mine in southern Maryland and with them came the following year a reluctant little patch of Mayapples. On their own, they've migrated away from the base of an Eastern White Pine, Pinus strobus, (that was a gift brought to me from friends who live in Kentucky) to their present lush and prolific bed surrounding this Eastern Redbud, Cercis canadensis.

And there's so much more happening here. Beneath the canopy of Mayapple parasols are the remnants of the early blooming Marsh Marigolds, Caltha palustris. Around the back of the Redbud are purple and white Wild Hyacinths, Camassia scilloides. Lining the edge of the brick patio are variegated Solomon's Seal, Polygonatum odoratum 'variegatum', which have yet to bloom.

And protruding from the sea of true green foliage are the fronds of no less that seven varieties of fern. I'm thrilled.

Here is a view of the Woodland Garden looking toward the Mayapple bed in the northwestern corner of the yard. More fern and the lush mounds of leaves from Bleeding Heart, Dicentra spectabilis, Celandine Poppies, Styrophorum diphyllum, and Corsican Hellebores, Helleborus argutifolius, among other things like Orange Day Lilies, Hemerocallis fulva, and various Hostas.